Man imprisoned for years in 'pigeon coop' by siblings who collected his check

HOLLYWOOD - JULY 30: Pigeons linger along the Hollywood Walk of Fame near the historic intersection of Hollywood and Vine on July 30, 2007 in Hollywood, California. While communities such as Pismo Beach, California control their pigeon populations by trapping and killing them, Hollywood is turning to birth control. In the coming months, a substance called OvoControl P will be placed in kibble on new rooftop feeders. The OvoControl P will prevent the pigeons, also known as rock doves, from reproducing by interfering with egg development and is expected to shrink the population 50 percent by 2012. By one calculation, as much as 112 tons of bird seed have been scattered around Hollywood by pigeon lovers in a single year leading to overpopulation and resulting in large amounts of bird guano for locals to clean up. In the typically mild weather of southern California, pigeons can breed year-round and produce offspring every quarter. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
(2007 Getty Images)

Police in Spain discovered a 59-year old man imprisoned in what is being described as a pigeon coop by his siblings, in a scheme to apparently make off with his monthly pension.

The man, whose siblings claim was mentally ill and had to be confined for his own security, was found naked and covered in his own feces inside a 10-foot-by-10-foot "sort of roofless pigeon coop" that was accessed by a dilapidated staircase in the town of Dos Hermanas in the southern region of Andalucia.

A photo taken from the room show the man's emaciated legs laying on a filthy red blanket and rusty metal bed inside a filled with empty water bottles and discarded clothes.

The national police were alerted to the imprisonment of the man while following up on a report that the man's brother had harassed locals after becoming "extremely drunk."

Authorities arrested the 76-year-old brother and 61-year-old sister for locking him away and living off his $1,097 pension.